Food Related Books and Activities
(Originally produced in cooperation with the Summer Library
Reading Program)

2014 Fizz Boom Legumes

Book:Cook-A-Doodle-Doo
Author: Janet Stevens
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Age Level: 4 to 8 years

Activity Supplies:

2 manila file folders to make puzzle mat

1 copy of puzzle pieces for the puzzle you are making

1 small self closing bag to hold puzzle pieces

scissors

ruler

glue

lamination/clear contact paper

black marker

Doing the Cook-A-Doodle-Doo Puzzle Activity:

Before reading the story hide the puzzle pieces where they can be easily found by the children, save back 2 interlocking puzzle pieces to use when explaining to children what they will be doing. (Judge by their ages how visible the pieces need to be.)

Read Cook-A-Doodle-Doo; as you read, incorporate the side comments on the left hand side of the pages.

After reading explain to children that just like Rooster, Iguana, Turtle, and Pig they are going to search for items and make a puzzle not a cake. However they will be using the items that Rooster, Iguana, Turtle and Pig used to make a cake to make their puzzle.

Put your puzzle mat on the table and explain to children that you have hidden puzzle pieces and that they are to find them. Show the 2 puzzle pieces that you did not hide and show children how they will fit into the puzzle mat.

Let children hunt for puzzle pieces, then give them to you and you put them where they belong or let children do it themselves (again judge by their age).

How to make Cook-A-Doodle-Doo file folder puzzle:

Using a ruler make a 1 inch border around 1 manila folder.

Cut the center out of the manila folder (save center piece you will use it later). This creates the border for your puzzle mat (caution: if you are cutting with this folded in half as I did you will need to open it up to cut the top part as tops of folders are longer on one side).

Draw ¼ inch border around inside border and color with black marker.

Staple your border to the other manila folder. (Caution: staple on each side of the fold, not on the fold itself, you want to be able to fold your folder up.)

Glue puzzle pieces handout to cut out center from the first manila folder that you cut. (Caution: make sure you glue the handout well and let it dry for a couple of hours. Resist the temptation to cut it apart until it is dry.)

Optional: you can laminate puzzle pieces, just remember when you do, that when you cut through lamination it sometimes pops up, however you can re-glue edges and it should be fine: another option is to use clear contact paper.

When puzzle pieces are dry, cut them apart and put them in self-closing plastic bag.

Using cut puzzle pieces, draw around them on the puzzle mat so you can easily identify where pieces belong when helping children put puzzle together.